CHAPTER XXIX. 



VORACIOUS PIKE. 



Calling the pike the fresh water shark is a 

 name well applied, for he is bold and any- 

 thing that conies his way is food for his maw. 

 It is a known fact to those who have studied 

 its habits that he will eat frogs, young ducks, 

 musquash, in fact, anything that happens to be 

 in front of him, not even barring his own off- 

 spring. How destructive they are in a trout 

 or whitefish lake is well known. 



One of the lakes on which I was stationed 

 years ago was said to have been, formerly, good 

 for whitefish, but was now almost nude of this 

 staple food of the dwellers at the post, brought 

 about by the increasing number of pike. 



As I was likely to be in charge, for a few 

 years at least, I set to work to destroy these 

 marauders. The lake is only a mile and a half 

 long by a quarter broad. It discharges into a 

 large river by a shallow creek, but, by this 

 creek, no doubt, many pike were added to the 

 number at each spawning time. 



The creek took my attention first, and we 



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